Also fit around the time of the aft deck was the cockpit sills and gussets. These pieces, which haven’t been touched much since the beginning of the fuselage, took some work then and again now to get into place. But the careful work on these and the skins showed. When clecoed, gaps were minimal and […]
The aft fuselage deck, or stabilizer deck, was fitted. This required leveling the whole fuse–which was 90% there from the careful work done during the flip. Often, adjustment is necessary in a build to get this piece level with all other pieces. Not the case with my build, though I don’t think that is necessarily […]
After some final riveting, the time had come for the big flip. Originally only two of us were going to attempt this, but required a third person to step in. You really need two up front and one in back at the least–as far as I could assess. Dropping this thing would have been a […]
This hole in the bottom of the fuse drove me nuts. It’s incredibly close to a rivet (edge-distance aside, I’m nearly shaving the factory head of this rivet!), a very specific shape and position, and generally just a harrowing ordeal to modify this skin in such a manner. I’ve viewed at least a half-dozen other […]
I’m getting so close to having this portion done. One-to-two more riveting sessions with a partner and I’ll be ready to tip the canoe. Or roll the canoe. Whatever they refer to it as. Canoe will be uprighted. Left to do: all rivets and fasteners immediately behind firewall, seal firewall, top of aft bulkheads, right […]
I was asked what I meant by, “Do some research.” It’s a common phrase that I use when I’m stuck. Which is frequently. Daily, nearly. But what is my research process. It’s become a fairly routine procedure, and I’m happy to share my steps, in order: 1.) Search the instructions. I mean, search. I have […]
The fuselage assembly began with a reassembly of all the parts–aft, mid, and forward fuselage. It was a bear trying to get it back together, even with help. But we did get it back together, and then I began riveting areas that should be riveted. The assembly is a bit of a minefield. Certain areas […]
The Big Prime. After days of prep (deburring, countersinking, dimpling, scrubbing, etc.) I was finally able to get all the parts in the booth. (Well, half the parts, which were sprayed with two coats, half hour in between, then all parts hung out in the garage while the process was repeated with the second batch.) […]
The last few weeks have been spent prepping the cabin pieces to go back into the aircraft. This includes priming, which has become a major source of complications. When priming the longerons, I noticed a slight tendency for spots to “bloom” in the primer. With everything else I was battling, I kept moving forward. When […]
The saga continues with Van’s and the LCP (laser cut parts) fiasco. It has taken the momentum out of my build as I weigh options, choose my path forward, and read copious amounts of online dialogue–ranging from justifiably angry to slightly unhinged angry to bafflingly understanding. I think I land somewhere in the middle. I’ve […]